CONSERVATIVE

arrested. Then, one day, Jan meets Betka. He follows
her from the metro, onto a bus, and then to the park
of Divoka Sarka, where he loses track of her. After the
arrest of his mother, Betka mysteriously appears at his
door to return books by several dissidents that had
been copied by his mother. Among them, is a copy of
Jan’s Rumors, too.
He is intrigued by Betka. She seems wiser than
her years. She knows about things that he is ignorant
of. She is beautiful in a way that he cannot express.
Soon, she and Jan are discussing how to organize a
campaign for his mother’s release from prison—and
they decide that such a campaign has to be organized
in the West, with the help of the international media.
The rest of the book is the story of how Jan
becomes deeply involved with other dissidents—
and, eventually, Betka. He learns of the trials and
tribulations of other dissidents, and develops contacts
with underground circles and foreign allies.
Along the way, always accompanied by Betka,
Jan discovers and learns to appreciate the beauty of
his city, Prague. And through Betka—whose passions
are Renaissance and baroque music, and, above all, the
composer Leoš Janáček—Jan also develops a love for
philosophy, literature, and music. He learns to love
beauty and learns to love her.
The story, which encompasses the romantic
and the political, the historical and the literary, is
fundamentally a fascinating depiction of love and the
search for the sacred. The richness of its language and
the story’s tender language make it a novel of pivotal
importance. Who would have thought that such a
romantic and lyrical rendering of the lives of dissidents
would be written by a philosopher like Scruton? On
the other hand, why not? He certainly possesses the
talent, the memories, and the insight.
One finished this book with many thoughts—
and with one overpowering feeling of love ... for
Betka. How is it possible to fall in love with a literary
character? To be sure, Betka is charming, strong, and
fragile all at the same time. She is, in contrast to Jan,
far more mature. She is wise in the ways of the world.
At the same time, as Jan discovers she is not altogether
open or honest with him.
With all this said, I found myself asking at
the very end: Would I fall in love with Betka? Yes,
absolutely, I would.
Roman Joch is the Executive Director of the Civic Institute in
Prague. He obtained his M.D. degree from Charles University
and was previously the Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Civic
Democratic Party (1994-1996).
FS I
future symphony institute
Orchestrate a renaissance.
For us, classical music represents the very pinnacle of a Western art form that has no equal
anywhere in time or place. The Future Symphony Institute was launched this year as a refuge
and a resource of conservative thought in defense of this pillar of Western Civilisation. We are
an entirely independent, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank with a mission to formulate the
strategies prerequisite for a worldwide renaissance of live classical music.
Senior Fellow Roger Scruton joins others such as David Goldman (who wrote for some
time under the nom de guerre of Spengler) and New Urbanist champion and architect Léon Krier
to form what will be a community of the world’s best and brightest thinkers, scholars, researchers,
artists, craftsmen, and business minds – all assembled to answer the political, aesthetic, and
cultural challenges facing our institutions of classical music today.
Please join us online where we regularly publish in-depth articles on the political and
philosophical challenges facing our art form and its legacy during these culturally perilous times.
www.futuresymphony.org
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Summer 2015